With 2017 and 2018 experiencing the lowest rainfall recorded in South African history and water restrictions implemented nationwide, it is no wonder there's a growing number of people concerned about the future of our most precious commodity. At Sustainable.co.za, we have turned our focus to providing the latest and most affordable options to save water in your own home. We also have a few tricks up our sleeve for those not in a position to buy the goods but still want to be a part of the solution.

Cape Town Dam Levels

Anyone taking a closer look at Cape Town dam levels will come to realise the urgency of the current water situation. From the data below it's clear that the city's demand has grown too large for the current water reserves. Even if crisis doesn't strike this year, 2018 will see the city in a major predicament as winter rainfall on average replenish storage by 30-40% but every year usage takes up to 60%. This is evident from the yearly peaks and troughs in the graph above.

Dam Storage %

56.9

Weekly Change %

+0.1

Table courtesy of the City of Cape Town

MAJOR DAMS STORAGE IN % OF CAPACITY

ML

06 August 2018

Last Week

2017

2016

2015

2014

BERG RIVER

130 010

86.8

86.4

44.7

62.0

83.5

100.9

STEENBRAS LOWER

33 517

57.2

58.7

29.4

63.3

79.7

101.2

STEENBRAS UPPER

31 767

92.9

98.5

87.4

100.3

102.5

100.6

THEEWATERSKLOOF

480 188

42.4

42.0

22.8

48.9

70.8

103.1

VOËLVLEI

164 095

59.4

58.4

21.9

53.6

48.3

100.6

WEMMERSHOEK

58 644

83.0

84.1

37.8

68.7

68.7

99.8

TOTAL STORED

898 221

511 432

509 990

263 049

496 582

627 229

915 698

% STORAGE

56.9

56.8

29.3

55.3

69.8

101.9

Theewaterskloof Drone Footage - 17 January 2017

This footage was taken on the 17th of January 2017 by prominent photographer, Johnny Miller. The bird's-eye view of the R321 bridge crossing clearly shows the alarming level with the last 10% hardly usable due to the silt.